155 nations, 80% of U.N. member states, have sent dignitaries to Hiroshima since war’s end
Aug. 6, 2014
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
The Chugoku Shimbun learned on August 1 that key government officials from at least 155 nations have visited Hiroshima since the end of World War II. All of these visitors have been ambassadors or higher-ranking officials. In recent years, the number of government officials visiting Hiroshima has ranged from 50 to 60 people annually. An increasing number of people are paying visits to the place where a nuclear weapon was used against civilians for the first time to learn about the true consequences of the devastating attack.
The data comes from records kept by the city’s International Affairs Department on visitors to Hiroshima since 1957 involving officials at the level of ambassador or above. However, because there was a gap in this record-keeping in the 1960s, the numbers may be larger. Former high-ranking officials or members of national assemblies are not included.
Among the 192 members of the United Nations, excluding Japan, 80 percent of the countries have sent representatives to Hiroshima. Of the five major nuclear powers, the United States has sent nine delegations, the largest number. Representatives from Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China have also visited the city more than once. As for ministerial level visitors, a Chinese culture minister came to Hiroshima in 1987, according to city records.
The heads of nations who have visited Hiroshima include Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (1957), Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori (1995), Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (2008), and Afghan President Hamid Karzai (2010). Most of the nations that have not sent representatives to Hiroshima are small countries in the West Indies and developing countries in Africa.
In the 1990s, the number of visiting officials was around 10 to 20 annually, but the number rose sharply following the turn of the century. The reason is believed to be the letters of invitation to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony that the City of Hiroshima began sending out to all the nuclear powers in 1998, and to every nation that has an embassy in Tokyo in 2006.
Since assuming his post in 2011, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui has been advocating a policy of encouraging visitors to the city. The city is eager to host international conferences and appeals to national governments to send representatives to Hiroshima. According to the city’s Peace Promotion Division, the municipal government wants policymakers of all nations to come to Hiroshima, learn about the experiences and feelings of A-bomb survivors, and take positive steps toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons. The city will continue to invite leaders of nuclear superpowers, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to visit Hiroshima.
(Originally published on August 2, 2014)
The Chugoku Shimbun learned on August 1 that key government officials from at least 155 nations have visited Hiroshima since the end of World War II. All of these visitors have been ambassadors or higher-ranking officials. In recent years, the number of government officials visiting Hiroshima has ranged from 50 to 60 people annually. An increasing number of people are paying visits to the place where a nuclear weapon was used against civilians for the first time to learn about the true consequences of the devastating attack.
The data comes from records kept by the city’s International Affairs Department on visitors to Hiroshima since 1957 involving officials at the level of ambassador or above. However, because there was a gap in this record-keeping in the 1960s, the numbers may be larger. Former high-ranking officials or members of national assemblies are not included.
Among the 192 members of the United Nations, excluding Japan, 80 percent of the countries have sent representatives to Hiroshima. Of the five major nuclear powers, the United States has sent nine delegations, the largest number. Representatives from Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China have also visited the city more than once. As for ministerial level visitors, a Chinese culture minister came to Hiroshima in 1987, according to city records.
The heads of nations who have visited Hiroshima include Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (1957), Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori (1995), Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (2008), and Afghan President Hamid Karzai (2010). Most of the nations that have not sent representatives to Hiroshima are small countries in the West Indies and developing countries in Africa.
In the 1990s, the number of visiting officials was around 10 to 20 annually, but the number rose sharply following the turn of the century. The reason is believed to be the letters of invitation to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony that the City of Hiroshima began sending out to all the nuclear powers in 1998, and to every nation that has an embassy in Tokyo in 2006.
Since assuming his post in 2011, Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui has been advocating a policy of encouraging visitors to the city. The city is eager to host international conferences and appeals to national governments to send representatives to Hiroshima. According to the city’s Peace Promotion Division, the municipal government wants policymakers of all nations to come to Hiroshima, learn about the experiences and feelings of A-bomb survivors, and take positive steps toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons. The city will continue to invite leaders of nuclear superpowers, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to visit Hiroshima.
(Originally published on August 2, 2014)
